Happy Birthday
by VainBanana2
Summary: After the accident, all Wen can do is relive that day over and over again.


-Dream-  
>***Flashback***<p>

Happy Birthday

-Li laughed along with Wen as they stepped into the minivan cab, a middle aged man, a young woman and an old lady with a small dog on her lap already seated. The two brothers quietened their laughing until it was nothing more than soft chuckling. The two were going back home after having spent Wen's 18th birthday at Mie's Café with all of their friends. They had offered them to stay the night, but the two brothers had politely declined, wanting to spend the last few hours of this special day alone.

It was pretty silent in the van, the only sound coming from the radio, but that was alright for them. Li gave him a smile and whispered an "I love you" to him, to which Wen had only responded with a smile.

Not even a minute later, the only thing that was heard was loud screeching of tires and

*CRASH*

...and everything was black...

... ...

Wen slowly opened his eyes a bit, though he couldn't open them all that much. He felt pain. An unbearable pain in his head, face and right side of his body. He could smell smoke, burning rubber and flesh. Only then did he notice he was lying on the ground. How he got there he didn't know. Confused and struggling to stay conscious, he tried to look around. ...Tires...van...? ...Van...birthday...Li? His eyes searched around through the smoke and fire, and landed on a figure, completely battered and covered in blood, not too far away from him. He recognized it as Li's figure... That was the last thing Wen saw before losing consciousness.

~~~~

As he slowly regained consciousness, he faintly heard a beeping sound and sniffing. He slowly opened his eyes and groaned at the sudden light, making him close them again and want to frown, but found himself unable to. After a minute, he managed to open his eyes again and looked around. He saw Kiba sitting next to his bed, head in his hands. At the foot of the bed he was lying in were Gray and Mie, who noticed he was awake. "...W-Wen... Thank god you're awake!" She immediately burst out in tears. Kiba and Gray were looking at him too now and speaking softly to him, but none of it made sense to him. A nurse came in, followed by Yamato and Terry. As she checked him, Wen couldn't help but feel confused. "...W-What hap...happened...?"

No one seemed to want to answer him, so the nurse did. "You were in an accident. You have some severe injuries; a head one, a severe facial fracture that requires surgery as soon as your blood pressure has evened out, and a minor spinal cord injury." ...Accident...? What acc- van..? The van...going home...birthday...Li... Where was Li? He strained himself to look at the bed next to him...but it was empty.

"...Where...is Li...?" Again, no one answered him. The nurse quickly left, followed by Mie and Terry. What was going on? Why didn't they answer him? Where was Li...? ...Why were people going in and out of the room... why were they all dressed in black...?

It slowly clicked. He moved to sit up despite the pain but Gray and Kiba immediately held him down. "Where is Li?! ...Tell me now!" He struggled to speak, and weakly struggled against their hold. "Wen...calm down... You need to st-" "Where is Li?! Where is he?!" Crying could be heard but Wen didn't notice, he could only struggle more and glare at Kiba...but the look in the older's eyes confirmed it. "...I-I'm so...so...sorry, Wen...Li's...he di-didn't m-make it...he died..."-

"NOOOO NO NOO!" Wen woke up screaming and crying in agony. Someone ran into his room, most likely Kiba, and tried to calm him down a bit. Though it was no use. Wen screamed and struggled and cried more and more and the only thing Kiba could do was watch in agony as his best friend was losing it. Losing it over the death of his brother, his best friend and partner, now already a few months ago. It was painful enough for Kiba that he lost one of his two best friends, and seeing the remaining one in this state just completely broke him. Sometimes, Wen would stop crying and stare into space. Just stare at nothing for minutes, hours even. And then start crying again. It was a cycle that repeated itself daily. He barely ate or drank, and refused to take the medicines the doctor had prescribed for the many injuries that probably wouldn't heal properly anymore. Kiba sighed and slowly got up to fetch him something warm to drink and food, leaving Wen alone with those dreadful memories.

****  
>The same day Wen received the news, he got a surgery for his facial fracture and another one for his head injury. The doctor did allow him to attend Li's funeral, that had taken place the next day. That day...was the second most awful and heartbreaking day for him. He had denied that all this was happening and that he had been having a nightmare, but seeing the coffin getting carried and put into the hearse broke that illusion and showed him that this was real. That Li really was gone. He had broken down in sobs and cried, yelled, desperately clung onto the hearse, only letting go when Kiba and someone he assumed was Gray had gently grabbed his arms and held him, helping him limp back to his wheelchair so they could get in the car behind the hearse that would bring them to the cemetery for the burial.<p>

Wen covered his scarred face with his hands, wishing he wouldn't think of it every minute he was awake. Even when asleep, he had nightmares about it. Kiba returned and tried to make Wen eat or at least drink, but Wen refused as always. Prying the hands of his face, Kiba looked Wen in the eye, or tried his best to. It was difficult not to stare at the right side of Wen's face. It was covered in scars and slightly deformed...it was honestly horrible to look at. He still walked with a limp as well.

****  
>Later, it had been revealed to Wen that he had been in a coma-like state for two days, and that Li had passed away on May 7th. Wen had hoped that, cruel as it was, Li at least had an instant death, that he didn't suffer before dying. But even that hope was crushed when he was told Li hadn't died on impact, but rather had been struggling and fighting to stay alive, only to succumb to his injuries half an hour later, before the ambulance arrived. The doctors had also told that if Li had miraculously survived, he would never fully recover as the injuries he sustained were too severe. He would've stayed handicapped, mentally and physically. He would've suffered for the rest of his life.<p>

Wen had blamed himself, still did. If only he had let Li sit in the middle instead of next to the window...if only he had accepted Yamato's offer to stay the night...he regretted it so much...if he had accepted, Li would still be here with him, alive, healthy, smiling...but now, all he could think of when he heard Li's name being mentioned, was that awful evening and how his body...his horribly injured body...that later turned out to be already lifeless when he had saw him, had hung there half out of the shattered window...the final time he had saw him, was not happy and alive, but disfigured and lifeless...  
>And he felt it was his fault.<p> 


End file.
